I'm not sure if Bob_San is the one responsible for the design and layout of the main page as well as the other pages (sans the forum) being linked to from it but I would really like to see a few changes.

I'm pretty new here so I hope i'm not overstepping my bounds here and I mean absolutely no offense to anyone but for a film that has so much attention to shot composition, color, and overall cinematography, the page design is rather ugly.

My number one complaint is the metallic looking banner across the bottom third of the screen. It is big and loud which couldn't be farther from the feel of the film. The images of the academy award and golden globe both seem like something pulled from stock photos included in a word processor and it seems to me that all of the exclamation points (We Are Awake!, STORE!!!, LIT Coming on Blu-Ray!!!, Are You Awake?!) really run against the somber understatement of the film.

I'm not trying to come and overhaul the site or anything. Again, I hope i'm not overstepping my bounds here. I say these things out of love. If I didn't care about Lost in Translation and this community, I wouldn't have cared to bring these things up.

I have to admit I am kind of fond of the fact that the layout of the forum hasn't changed...I guess I'm a sucker for nostalgia. I can't say I'd mind if the main site pages changed- I enter the forum directly anyway- but if the main site changes can you keep a link to the old stuff? Likewise would there be a way for me to keep the old forum style? Odd I know...but the world keeps changing and I like the fact that online this site is one of the few constants.

If you change the forum though Bob, you're welcome to use any of the pics I've taken from tokyo for background images. I have a set of external shots of the park hyatt taken from shinjuku somewhere that I've never sorted through in 2 years

Right after LIT came out there was this girl, or should I say flakey@$#*, who created a really cool LIT site (areyouawake.org) with a forum.She's very talented with web design and imaging but a flake. The site gotpopular, there were a lot of people in the forum. Within a month or twoshe got "bored" with it and deleted the site, just like that, gone. Sheput up a new vanity site where she remarked on how she got bored with itafter putting all that effort in and saying how much she loved the filmand was affected by it. Right. So right away I threw together a websiteand a forum and went out trying to find as many of the original people aspossible to come back. Some did and others eventually found it. I'm not aweb designer, I just wanted to put something together the best I could atthat time. Sure it could be a lot better but it is what it is. I suppose Icould take a few exclamation points out, was just meant to conveyexcitement for fans. At some point if I can have to time to improve my webskills I'll refine the site.

Thanks for the offer to help etc. Others have offered to support the siteand rather than take donations I put up the store. I appreciate peopleusing the store to help out.

This kind of gives a little history to the site that a lot of new folks are unaware of. I see Nathan's point about the banner and !!! and graphics etc. If anyone would like to contribute new graphics (and/or a new template layout) that I can use in the design on the main page that would be great. I like the black bars and the Bob/Charlotte graphic. Thank you a lot Sam for you offer to use the photos you have taken. I would like to see these external shots of the Park Hyatt and see what I could use. I believe the focus of a design change is for the main site only not the forum. So far I have decided not to upgrade to the next version of phpbb for a variety of reasons.

As far as the store bit I am wondering is Amazon will allow people from outside the US to order through my links? A lot of the visitors are from outside and I need to see if I can figure that one out.

i can just put them all in a .zip file and upload it to mediafire for you to download and do what you will the pictures if that would be easier. i don't have a ton of photos but but if there is even one that you can use i will be happy.

if you would rather me upload them right to weareawake i can do that too. i will put them all in a folder later and let you know how much space they take up.

Happy for you to have a look at the Hyatt pics Bob, I think at the moment they constitute maybe 100 or so RAW files that are all unedited. I shall have a look through and maybe edit a few and reduce the size of the rest and upload them to rapidshare for you to download.